I am pleased to see that Selah Helms’ book, That Your Faith May Not Fail is now available. I was blessed to have an opportunity to read a pre-publication copy. Selah tells the story of her son’s tragic accident and how her family has walked through this trial. Having known, loved and respected the Helms […]

I have previously commented on my family’s deep appreciation of Douglas Bond’s historical novel, Duncan’s War. Just recently I have had the privilege of rereading the book, this time with my two younger children. I reaffirm all the positive things I said about the book last time. This time it was fun and very encouraging […]

Today I’ve run some errands with my younger two children (Abigail, 8 yrs old & Timothy, 6 yrs old). Everybody else is gone for the day so it’s just the three of us (which means frozen yogurt for lunch, tree climbing, playing tag and who knows what else). As we left one stop which is […]

Happy Reformation Day! Halloween just has no draw for me when we have the opportunity to celebrate the recovery of the gospel and its implications for life. We celebrate the recovery of God’s word, which points us to the gospel which brings life and the certain hope of resurrection. This year my family has been […]

“Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.” (Psalm 128:3-4) “How beautiful to see the gnarled olive, still bearing abundant fruit, surrounded with a little band of sturdy successors, any one […]

Psalm singing continues to be a great joy in my family having a standard place at our evening meal. We began a little over a year ago with Psalm 128, and have added a few more along the way. As we began 2010 we introduced Psalm 127 the other really strong family Psalm. The version […]

Patrick Henry Reardon has a great article in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Touchstone titled, “Wisdom from the Family Table.” It is another great resource for parents as he discusses the important life training that takes place as families gather around their tables. Here are two quotes: “The quest of wisdom commences with learning how […]

In some of my work on Baptist theology and practice I came across this quote from Gaines Dobbins’, The churchbook: A treasury of materials and methods (Nashville, TN: Broadman, 1951), a standard text in the 1950′s. His point applies just as well today. “Children who have learned to worship at home will not find it […]

Doug Phillips has a really good exhortation for families concerning reflecting on the past year. Here is his introduction: “Life moves fast. If we don’t take the time to chronicle the providences of God, we forget them. If we don’t take the time to say thank you to those who have invested in our lives, […]

Each year at this time I try to reflect over the past year using notes I have kept through the year and discussion with the family. I find it a helpful and meaningful exercise. I also find myself wishing I kept better notes through the year. This year I noticed that I recorded more direct […]